Improvements in communication systems for remote device control

ABSTRACT

A system, method, and devices for routing signals and controlling a home device are provided. The system includes a network including communication points that provide a path of communication between connected devices a home device that is connected using the network, a mobile device that is connected to the home device using the network, and a proprietary router in the network through which the mobile device is able to connect to the home device. The mobile device is configured to detect a triggering event at the mobile device, wherein the triggering event is associated with a control signal for controlling the home device, generate the control signal in response to the triggering event being detected, and transmit the control signal to the home device through the network using the proprietary router through the path of communication in response to the triggering event being detected.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to improvements incommunication systems and can be implemented in a number of mobiledevice applications, including, but not limited to remote device controlwhen a triggering event is detected.

With the ready availability of mobile terminals such as smart telephonesthere is an increasing realization by users that security and homeautomation systems can be remotely controlled manually or controlledautomatically. For example, a user can control a home security system toarm or disarm. This control command can be triggered by the proximity ofthe user to their premises as determined by the location of the user'smobile phone. The use of hysteresis to prevent retriggering at awireless boundary such as at a geofence boundary or cell phone cellboundary can also be implemented.

A number of such systems have been disclosed which utilize one or morenetwork-based servers to communicate with the user's mobile terminal todetermine the user's location. For example, the server identifies thatthe mobile terminal has crossed one or more geographical boundary(geofence) and signals to the home security system or the homeautomation system to change state.

These systems have a number of concerns and possible short comings thatmay discourage their application by users. For example, privacy of theuser and the user's information is a concern because, for example, theserver may be aware of the user's every movement at all times. Securityis also a concern because should the server be successfully breached byhackers, then the daily movements of all associated users will beavailable to the hackers and their associates as well as the users'stored information and possibly allow access and control of the users'devices. Reliability is also a concern because server-based systemsgenerally operate with a centralized database. The use of a database tocontrol message flows may introduce a potential single point of failure.This is because of the complex structure of database software and theinterlinking of the database fields. Thus a traffic flow controloperation involves a large number of computer operations (flops). Thisin turn slows the operation and increases the possibility of theoccurrence of an error or signaling network malfunction. Further,response speed is a concern because servers operate a system ofstore-and-forward whereby every message received by the server is storedin the database and forwarded either to the customer terminal or to themobile terminal. This increases system response times and leads to pooruser experience especially as the number of users increases.

Additionally, households may be fitted with two or more systems, such asan alarm system and a home automation system, and the systems may haveincompatible signaling or communication protocols requiring the user toutilize separate interfaces to, for example, arm the alarm system andturn off the heating system.

One or more embodiments as described herein set out to address one ormore of the problems with the existing arrangements and implement asystem which provides security and reliability and may further deliver agood user experience.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a mobile device for routing signals andcontrolling a home device is provided. The mobile device includes acomputer readable storage medium having program instructions embodiedtherewith, the program instructions executable by a processor of themobile device to cause the processor to detect a triggering event at themobile device, wherein the triggering event is associated with a controlsignal for controlling the home device, generate the control signal inresponse to the triggering event being detected, and transmit thecontrol signal from the mobile device to the home device through anetwork using a proprietary router associated with the home device inresponse to the triggering event being detected.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the mobile device may includeadditional program instructions executable by the processor of themobile device to cause the processor to detect a crossing by the mobiledevice of a specified geofence based on geolocation capability andgeofence detecting capability of the mobile device, and transmit amessage to a terminal through the proprietary router in response to thedetection of said crossing, wherein the proprietary router is adapted toestablish a secure communication tunnel between the proprietary routerand the terminal.

According to one embodiment, a method of routing signals and controllinga home device using a mobile device is provided. The method includesdetecting a triggering event at the mobile device, wherein thetriggering event is associated with a control signal for controlling thehome device, generating the control signal at the mobile device inresponse to the triggering event being detected, and transmitting thecontrol signal from the mobile device to the home device through anetwork via a proprietary router in response to the triggering eventbeing detected.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method include, whereintransmitting the control signal from the mobile device to the homedevice through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through the known path of communicationincludes transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to theproprietary router over the network implemented over internet resources,receiving the control signal at the proprietary router and processingthe control signal to determine the known path of communication for thehome device the control signal is configured to control, routing thecontrol signal from the proprietary router using point-to-pointcommunication through other devices on the network, and receiving thecontrol signal at the home device.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method include, whereintransmitting the control signal from the mobile device to the homedevice through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through the known path of communicationincludes transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to acustomer terminal through the proprietary router, wherein the customerterminal is locally connected to the home device, receiving the controlsignal at the customer terminal for controlling the home device locallyconnected to the customer terminal, and transmitting the control signalfrom the customer terminal to the home device.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method include, whereintransmitting the control signal from the mobile device to the homedevice through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through the known path of communicationincludes transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to ahome automation server (HAS) through the proprietary router, wherein theHAS is configured for controlling the home device, receiving the controlsignal at the HAS, wherein the HAS is connected along the knowncommunication path to the home device, and transmitting the controlsignal from the HAS to the home device.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method include, wherein thetriggering event includes triggering event information that includes atleast one selected from a group consisting of a user input, a geofencetrigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensor reading, anda third party request.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method includes, wherein thehome device is selected from a group consisting of a customer terminal,a thermostat, a mechanical servo device, a light switch, a video camera,a digital electronic device, a home appliance, a home audio device, asensor array, and a security system sensor.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method include, whereingenerating the control signal at the mobile device includes derivingtriggering event information from the triggering event, processing thetriggering event information, processing control information receivedfrom one or more of a group consisting of a user input, a geofencetrigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensor reading, athird party request, and a stored data file associated with theindependent home device that is to be controlled, and generating thecontrol signal based on the triggering event information and controlinformation.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method include, whereintransmitting the control signal from the mobile device to home devicethrough the network using the proprietary router by point-to-pointcommunication through the known path of communication includes using aprotocol translator communicatively connected to the proprietary routerthat takes the control signal from a source and translates the controlsignal into a format readable by a destination in the known path ofcommunication and the home device.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the method include, wherein thecontrol signal is translated from a source protocol to a destinationprotocol, and wherein the protocol translator further includes a sourceprotocol identifier adapted to identify the source protocol, and adestination protocol identifier adapted to identify the destinationprotocol, wherein the source protocol identifier includes an associationbetween the source and the corresponding source protocol, and whereinthe destination protocol identifier includes an association between thedestination and the corresponding destination protocol.

According to one embodiment, a system for routing signals andcontrolling a home device using a mobile device is provided. The systemincludes a network including a plurality of communication points thatprovide path of communication between connected devices, wherein thenetwork is adapted to communicate via Internet resources, a home devicethat is communicatively connected using the network, a mobile devicethat is communicatively connected to the home device using the network,and a proprietary router in the network through which the mobile deviceis able to connect to the home device, wherein the mobile device isconfigured to detect a triggering event at the mobile device, whereinthe triggering event is associated with a control signal for controllingthe home device, generate the control signal in response to thetriggering event being detected, and transmit the control signal to thehome device through the network using the proprietary router through thepath of communication in response to the triggering event beingdetected.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include a network devicethat uses a first communication and signaling protocol, and a customerterminal that uses a second communication and signaling protocoldifferent from the first communication and signaling protocol, whereinthe network device communicates with a network device management serverusing the first communication and signaling protocol, wherein thecustomer terminal communicates with a network-based protocol translatoradapted to convert the second communication and signaling protocol to athird communication and signaling protocol, and wherein the networkdevice management server is adapted to communicate using the thirdcommunication and signaling protocol.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include, wherein themobile device communicates with the customer terminal via the network,and wherein the customer terminal forwards messages from the mobiledevice to the network device via the protocol translator and the networkdevice.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include, wherein thesystem is further configured to transmit the control signal from themobile device to the proprietary router over the network implementedover Internet resources, receive the control signal at the proprietaryrouter and process the control signal to determine the known path ofcommunication for the home device the control signal is configured tocontrol, route the control signal from the proprietary router usingpoint-to-point communication through other devices on the network, andreceive the control signal at the home device.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include, a customerterminal, wherein the home device is locally connected to the customerterminal, wherein the system is further configured to transmit thecontrol signal from the mobile device to the customer terminal throughthe proprietary router, receive the control signal at the customerterminal for controlling the home device locally connected to thecustomer terminal, and transmitting the control signal from the customerterminal to the home device.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include a home automationserver (HAS), wherein the system is configured to transmit the controlsignal from the mobile device to the HAS through the proprietary router,wherein the HAS is configured for controlling the home device, receivethe control signal at the HAS, wherein the HAS is connected along theknown communication path to the home device, and transmit the controlsignal from the HAS to the home device.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include wherein thetriggering event includes triggering event information that includes atleast one selected from a group consisting of a user input, a geofencetrigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensor reading, anda third party request, and wherein the home device is selected from agroup consisting of a customer terminal, a thermostat, a mechanicalservo device, a light switch, a video camera, a digital electronicdevice, a home appliance, a home audio device, a sensor array, and asecurity system sensor.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include, whereingenerating the control signal at the mobile device includes derivingtriggering event information from the triggering event, processing thetriggering event information, processing control information receivedfrom one or more of a group consisting of a user input, a geofencetrigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensor reading, athird party request, and a stored data file associated with theindependent home device that is to be controlled, generating the controlsignal based on the triggering event information and controlinformation.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the system include a protocoltranslator communicatively connected to the proprietary router, whereintransmitting the control signal from the mobile device to the homedevice through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through a known path of communicationincludes using the protocol translator to take the control signal andtranslate the control signal into a format readable by other devices inthe known path of communication and the home device.

According to one embodiment, a network-based protocol translatorincludes a protocol converter adapted to convert first messages in afirst protocol of a first group of communication protocols to messagesin one or more second protocols in a second group of communicationprotocols, wherein the first group of communication protocols include asource protocol, and wherein the one or more second protocols include adestination protocol.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the network-based protocoltranslator include a translation engine, wherein the translation engineincludes source protocol identification means adapted to identify thesource protocol.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the network-based protocoltranslator include a translation engine, wherein the translation engineincludes destination protocol identification means adapted to identifythe destination protocol or protocols.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the network-based protocoltranslator include, wherein the translation engine includes destinationprotocol identification means adapted to identify the destinationprotocol or protocols.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the network-based protocoltranslator include, wherein the source protocol identification meansincludes an association between the source and the corresponding sourceprotocol.

In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as analternative, further embodiments of the network-based protocoltranslator include, wherein the destination protocol identificationmeans includes an association between the destination and thecorresponding destination protocol.

The foregoing features and elements may be combined in variouscombinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise.These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will becomemore apparent in light of the following description and the accompanyingdrawings. It should be understood, however, that the followingdescription and drawings are intended to be illustrative and explanatoryin nature and non-limiting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram illustrating basic elements of anetwork architecture, including alarm delivery, network management andremote control according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating interactions between thevarious subsystems of the mobile terminal and the customer terminal usedaccording to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a network device (3.40)and associated server (3.30) wherein the network device is controlledusing a mobile terminal via proprietary routers (3.14) without theinvolvement of the customer terminal according to one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram associated with the system of FIG. 3illustrating interactions between a mobile terminal and a server via theproprietary routers used to control a remote network device such as athermostat according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram illustrating additional features of anetwork including a mobile terminal controlling one or more customerterminals and one or more network devices via proprietary routerswhereby the customer terminal intermediates the communication betweenthe mobile terminal and the one or more network-based servers used tocontrol the network devices according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram illustrating interactions betweenvarious functional blocks associated with the network detailed in FIG. 5according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of the customer terminal illustratingthe functional blocks used according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a network diagram illustrating additional features ofa network including the utilization of a local area wireless networksuch as Z-Wave to control home automation devices according to one ormore embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates an arrangement which enables a customer terminal tocommunicate with an operable device (9.40) having a different signalprotocol from that of the customer terminal controllable via a networkserver (9.30) according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a protocol translator according to one or moreembodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary message format for a message sent fromthe customer terminal according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary message format for a message sent fromthe protocol translator according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary message format for a message sent fromthe home automation system according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of a method for routing signals andcontrolling a plurality of independent home devices using a mobiledevice according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart of some additional operations for amethod for routing signals and controlling a plurality of independenthome devices using a mobile device according to one or more embodimentsof the disclosure.

FIG. 16 illustrates system having more than one mobile device associatedwith a customer terminal according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more embodiments described herein are directed to a method and/orsystem for routing signals and controlling a plurality of independenthome devices using a mobile device or a home based controller. Thesystem may include one or more mobile devices connected to both aproprietary router and one or more of a plurality of independent homedevices used by the user. The mobile device may be adapted to controlthe home devices via a home based controller. Control of the homedevices may be via a home automation server. This method and systemcould improve the privacy of systems that are accessed or controlledremotely using a portable device such as a mobile telephone. The methodand system also have application in the field of geolocation. Accordingto one or more embodiments of the disclosure, the system and method maybe used to improve the user experience associated with remotelycontrolling devices generally, but will be described with reference tosecurity and home automation systems. According to one aspect of thedisclosure, the use of a distributed network architecture to facilitatecommunications between customer terminals and mobile terminals isdisclosed.

Some embodiments utilize a proprietary router The proprietary router isone which is accessible via a proprietary message from an associatededge device and which processes such proprietary messages in apredetermined manner. The proprietary router may be configured toconnect specified terminals to associated terminals. The proprietaryrouter may be adapted to terminate an incoming tunnel and establish anoutgoing tunnel. An associated edge device may have access to adedicated port of a proprietary router. Proprietary routers can beaccessed via a public network.

A proprietary router can be adapted to be associated with a wide areanetwork (WAN), while remaining under the control of a proprietor of adedicated communication network, rather than being under the control ofthe WAN operator. The proprietary router can have proprietary interfacesadapted to communicate with associated terminals. The network caninclude one or more proprietary routers.

As shown and described herein, various features of the disclosure willbe presented. Various embodiments may have the same or similar featuresand thus the same or similar features may be labeled with the samereference numeral, but preceded by a different first number indicatingthe figure to which the feature is shown. Thus, for example, element “a”that is shown in FIG. X may be labeled “X.a” and a similar feature inFIG. Z may be labeled “Z.a.” Although similar reference numbers may beused in a generic sense, various embodiments will be described andvarious features may include changes, alterations, modifications, etc.as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, whether explicitlydescribed or otherwise would be appreciated by those of skill in theart.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram illustrating basic elements of networkarchitecture, including alarm delivery, network management and remotecontrol according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.Specifically, FIG. 1 shows an alarm reporting network according to anembodiment. A mobile terminal (1.04) is in communication with a customerterminal (1.02) via a virtual private network implemented over theinternet (1.08). According to one embodiment, both the source anddestination terminals may be in point-to-point communication with theproprietary router to establish an effective end-to-end secure tunnel.The customer terminal (1.02) may be a gateway, an alarm system, or ageneral device controller. The mobile terminal (1.04) may also be calleda mobile user device (1.04) and can be, for example, a smartphone,tablet computer or the like with a control application that implementsthe disclosed method loaded and running on the mobile user device(1.04).

The network includes a plurality of customer terminals such as customerterminal (1.02), wide area networks such as WAN 1 (1.08), and WAN 2(1.09), routers 1.10.1 through to 1.10.n. The network also includes asecurity company automation system, which can also be called a thirdparty alarm automation system 1.18, a customer terminal networkmanagement terminal 1.16, as well as mobile terminals (1.04).

The routers can be dedicated routers such as the proprietary routersdescribed in our co-pending patent application U.S. 62/083,538. As wellas performing normal router functions, these routers can providededicated communication connections between devices registered with therouters. A communication management center (1.12) can be provided tomanage the configuration of the dedicated routers.

The customer terminal can, for example, be adapted to control an alarmsystem including one or more wired or wireless sensors installed at thepremises. In addition, in some embodiments, the customer terminal can beadapted to control a first home automation system installed at thepremises. According to an embodiment, each mobile terminal (1.04) isassociated with one or more customer terminals (1.02).

The mobile terminal (1.04) can include geolocation functionality. Themobile terminal (1.04) is programmable with an App which may bedownloaded by the user or their agent from an internet-based third partyApp repository.

The mobile terminal (1.04) App is configured by the user or their agentwith the geographical location of each associated customer terminal. Theconfiguration may take the form of direct entry of coordinatesindicating a map location or when the mobile terminal is physicallypresent at the location of the customer terminal, the user or theiragent may nominate that location in the App via an input field.

The App can be provided preloaded with a radius so that the radius andthe location of the customer terminal as detailed above, together definea geofence with a single circular boundary as disclosed in ArkenstoneU.S. Pat. No. 5,470,233. The mobile terminal (1.04) App is alerted by atrigger message generated by the intrinsic mobile terminal (1.04)geolocation capabilities that the geofence has been crossed in aninbound (in the direction towards the center of the circle) or outbound(in the direction away from the center of the circle) direction.

Hysteresis can be used to inhibit flip-flopping between states when themobile terminal is close to the geofence, in a manner analogous to theuse of hysteresis in the GSM system to avoid repetitive cell switchingbetween adjacent cells. Upon crossing of the geofence boundary (1.06) ineither inbound (1.06.2) or outbound (1.06.1) direction, the mobileterminal (1.04) App may provide the user an indication via the mobileterminal's user interface, that the geofence has been crossed. Inaddition, the mobile terminal (1.04) App may send a message to thecustomer terminal (1.02) that the geofence has been crossed and thedirection of travel of the mobile terminal (inbound or outbound)relative to the customer terminal (1.02). The message is sent via theproprietary network comprised of proprietary routers (1.10.1 to 1.10.n).When the customer terminal receives either message it responds in amanner that was previously programmed by the user or their agent. Forexample, the user may have programmed the customer terminal to turn onthe porch light when the geofence boundary is crossed in an incomingdirection after 6 PM.

The App may also be adapted to obtain information from on-line sites,such as, for example the weather bureau and use the information totrigger the sending of specific instructions to the customer terminal.The App can be programmed to periodically retrieve information from theon-line site and determine if the information is within a range whichrequires the App to send instructions to the customer terminal. Forexample, if a storm is predicted, the App can use this information toinstruct the customer terminal to close servo-operated shutters. Theshutters or other operable devices can be controlled via wired orwireless communication links with the customer terminal and similarlywhen the storm has passed the App may send this information to instructthe customer terminal to open servo-operated shutters.

The customer terminal (1.02) may send a message to the mobile terminal(1.04) App to acknowledge the message it had sent and also to conveyinformation about the status of the customer terminal after thecompletion of the programmed task initiated by the message from themobile terminal (1.04) or in response to the action initiated byretrieving the on-line information.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating interactions between the varioussubsystems of the mobile terminal and the customer terminal usedaccording to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Specifically,FIG. 2 details the actions carried out by the subsystems describedabove. The process starts with the mobile terminal crossing the geofencein an outbound direction (2.222.2) which is identified by the GPS(2.222.1) Receiver (RX). The GPS Receiver subsystem notifies (2.222) theRemote Control App (RCA) in the mobile terminal. The RCA sends a message(2.224) to the proprietary router (2.224), that forwards it (2.226) tothe customer terminal (CT). The customer terminal sends a message(2.228) to the proprietary router to acknowledge the message it hadreceived and also to convey information about the status of the customerterminal after the completion of the programmed task initiated by themessage from the mobile terminal. The proprietary router forwards themessage (2.230) to the mobile terminal RCA.

A similar process takes place when the mobile terminal crosses thegeofence in an inbound direction (2.222.3). This condition is identifiedby the GPS Receiver which notifies (2.232) the RCA in the mobileterminal. The RCA sends a message (2.234) to the proprietary router,that forwards it (2.236) to the customer terminal. The customer terminalsends a message (2.239) to the proprietary router to acknowledge themessage it had received and also to convey information about the statusof the customer terminal after the completion of the programmed taskinitiated by the message from the mobile terminal. The proprietaryrouter forwards the message (2.240) to the mobile terminal RCA.

In response to receiving a notification that the mobile device hascrossed the geofence, the customer terminal can be programmed toinitiate one or more operations of the alarm system or home automationdevices which the customer terminal is configured to control.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a network device (3.40) andassociated server (3.30) wherein the network device is controlled usinga mobile terminal (3.04) via proprietary routers (3.14) without theinvolvement of the customer terminal according to one or moreembodiments of the disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 3 details a furtherembodiment of the remote control network wherein the RCA is used tocontrol a remote network device (3.40) which may be collocated with thecustomer terminal (3.02), the network device (3.40) being managed by anetwork-based server (3.30).

Also, as shown in FIG. 3 and in accordance with one or more embodiments,an alarm management terminal (3.16), which is adapted to manage an alarmsystem in communication with customer terminal (3.02), can be included.The signal protocol used for the alarm system can be a proprietaryprotocol associated with an alarm management terminal (AMT) (3.16) asdiscussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,728, and the customer terminal can besimilar to that discussed in U.S. 62/083,538. The customer terminal canbe configured to forward messages from the mobile device (3.04) to theAMT (3.16) and to the home automation server (HAS) (3.30) as detailed inFIG. 5 and FIG. 6. The protocols used by the AMT and the HAS can bedifferent, as can the protocols used by the alarm system and theoperable devices, such as 3.40. Thus. The protocol of the operabledevice can be compatible with that used by the HAS, and the protocolused by the alarm system can be compatible with that used by the AMT. Inthis embodiment, the customer terminal protocol is not compatible withthe operable devices.

The network device (3.40) may be a home automation device such as athermostat equipped with sensors (3.40.2) and power control interfacessuch as relays (3.40.3) to control HVAC devices such as air-conditioners(3.40.4) and space heaters (3.40.5). As well as being locallycontrollable via a local user interface, the network device (3.40)communicates using the communication and control device (3.40.1) andantenna (3.40.4) via the customer's local area network (LAN) to HAS(3.30) located off-site, for example in what has been referred to in theliterature as the ‘cloud’. The HAS (3.30) will be referred to herein asa home automation server or HAS for short. The network device (3.40) canbe equipped with a wireless link, such as WiFi interface (3.40.4), whichis in communications with the customer premises network router (3.20)through its WiFi interface (3.20.1). The customer premises networkrouter (3.20) can be connected to the internet (3.22 and 3.08) via alast-mile access technology such as ADSL, VDSL2, optical fiber, WiMax,cellular, such as 3G, 4G and 5G etc.

The mobile terminal (3.04) is able to control the network device (3.40)by establishing a secure IP connection (3.34) via one or moreproprietary routers (3.14, 3.10.1) to the network device's HAS (3.30)and by establishing a two-way communication session with the networkdevice's HAS (3.30). The HAS (3.30) is in two way communications withthe network device (3.40) through an IP communications paths (3.22.1,3.20.2) over the internet (3.08). The HAS (3.30) converts the controlinstructions from the mobile terminal (3.04) to a message formatcompatible with the network device (3.40) and communicates the resultantmessages to the network device (3.40). The HAS (3.30) also translatesthe responses from the network device (3.40) to a format compatible withthe mobile device (3.04) and forwards these messages to the mobileterminal (3.04).

According to one or more embodiments, the customer terminal (3.02)includes a set of antennas (3.02.4, 3.02.5) for communication with otherdevices includes, for example, the network device (3.40), the mobiledevice (3.04), and the HAS (3.30). The customer terminal (3.02) can alsoinclude a sensor I/F (3.02.3), a processor (3.02.2), and communicationcircuitry and devices (3.02.1).

One or more embodiments may also include a computer terminal (3.16) fromwhich a user could login and access a portal or an instance of thecontrol application. Therefore, the user could send and receive similarcontrol signals from the computer terminal (3.16) for controlling thenetwork device (3.40) and customer terminal (3.02).

According to one or more embodiments, the mobile device (3.04) caninclude a wireless antenna (3.04.1) through which the mobile device(3.04) is able to transmit and receive wireless signals including thecontrol signal. Additionally, the overall system may include a cellularnetwork device (3.36) which can include one or more cellular towers(3.36.1, 3.26.2). The cellular network device (3.36) can provide awireless communication path (3.34) to communicate with the mobile device(3.04) and a backbone communication path (3.36.3) which can be wired orwireless that connects the wireless network (3.36) with the wide areanetwork such as the internet (3.08) to which other device elements suchas the customer terminal (3.02), the network device (3.40), and the HAS(3.30) are connected.

According to one or more embodiments, the HAS (3.30) has a datacommunication path (3.30.1) over which the HAS can communicate withother devices connected through the network. For example, the HAS (3.30)can communicate using communication path (3.34) with the mobile device(3.04) through the network that includes the router (3.10.1). The HAS(3.30) can also communicate using another known path of communication(3.32) with the network device (3.40) through the network. Path 3.32 mayor may not include a path through proprietary router network 3.14.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram associated with the system of FIG. 3illustrating interactions between a mobile terminal and a HAS via theproprietary routers used to control a remote network device such as athermostat according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure.Particularly, FIG. 4 details the message flow associated with the systemof FIG. 3 to control a remote network device by a mobile terminal asdescribed above. For example, when a user with a mobile terminal eithercrosses a geofence as described above, or directly interacts with themobile terminal via the user interface, a message (4.100) is sent by themobile terminal to the proprietary router, which forwards the message(4.110) to the HAS. If required, the HAS may translate the message fromthe proprietary router format to the network device format and sends it(4.112) via the internet to the user's local area network (LAN). Themessage is then sent to the network device—in this case a thermostat.

The network device may respond to the server (4.116) to acknowledge themessage or to deliver status indication to the server via the LAN whichroutes the message (4.118) over the internet to the server. The serverin-turn may translate the message to a format compatible with the RCAand sent it (4.120) via the proprietary routers to the RCA executing onthe mobile terminal (4.128).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating additional features of a networkincluding a mobile terminal controlling one or more customer terminals(5.02) and one or more network devices (5.40) via proprietary routers(5.14 and 5.10.1) whereby the customer terminal (5.02) intermediates thecommunication between the mobile terminal (5.04) and the one or morenetwork-based HAS (5.30) used to control the network devices (5.40)according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Particularly,FIG. 5 details a further embodiment of the remote control networkwherein a remote network device (5.40) is controlled by a mobileterminal (5.04) or by a customer terminal (5.02) which may be controlledby a mobile terminal (5.04). One or more additional home automationsystems or devices which use a protocol which is not compatible with thecustomer terminal may also be installed at the premises.

For example, the RCA executing on the mobile terminal (5.04) establishespoint-to-point communications with the customer terminal (5.02) viasecure IP VPN establishing a communication path (5.34) through thenetwork and multiple devices. Depending on the messages received by thecustomer terminal (5.02) from the RCA (5.04) or other sources, thecustomer terminal (5.02) may control the network device (5.40) throughthe HAS (5.30) by translating the messages received from the RCA orother sources, from the RCA message format to the HAS (5.30) messageformat. The message flow (5.34) between the customer terminal (5.02) andthe HAS (5.30) is via the network setup by the proprietary routers(5.14).

The RCA executing on the mobile terminal (5.04) may also enableconcurrent communication with both the HAS (5.30) and the customerterminal (5.02) as detailed in both FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 so that the RCAmay be programmed to convert a user command into two separate commands,one routed to the customer terminal (5.02) and the other routed to thenetwork device (5.40) along the known path of communication (5.34)through the network.

According to one or more embodiments, the customer terminal (5.02)includes a set of antennas (5.02.4, 5.02.5) for communication with otherdevices includes, for example, the network device (5.40), the mobiledevice (5.04), and the HAS (5.30). The customer terminal (5.02) can alsoinclude a sensor I/F (5.02.3), a processor (5.02.2), and communicationcircuitry and devices (5.02.1).

According to one or more embodiments, the mobile device (5.04) caninclude a wireless antenna (5.04.1) through which the mobile device(5.04) is able to transmit and receive wireless signals including thecontrol signal. Additionally, the overall system may include a cellularnetwork device (5.36) which can include one or more cellular towers(5.36.1, 5.26.2). The cellular network device (5.36) can provide awireless communication path (5.34) to communicate with the mobile device(5.04) and a backbone communication path (5.36.3) which can be wired orwireless that communications with other device elements in the networksand attached to the network such as the customer terminal (5.02), thenetwork device (5.40), and the HAS (5.30).

According to one or more embodiments, the HAS (5.30) has a datacommunication path (5.30.1) over which the server can communicate withother device connected through the network. For example, the HAS (5.30)can communicate using a known path of communication (5.34) with themobile device (5.04) through the network that includes the routers(5.10.1, 5.12, 5.14). The HAS (5.30) can also communicate using anotherknown path of communication (5.32) to communicate with the networkdevice (5.40) through the network.

According to one or more embodiments, the network device (5.40) may be ahome automation device such as a thermostat equipped with sensors(5.40.2) and power control interfaces such as relays (5.40.3) to controlHVAC devices such as air-conditioners (5.40.4) and space heaters(5.40.5). As well as being locally controllable via a local userinterface, the network device (5.40) communicates using thecommunication and control device (5.40.1) and antenna (5.40.3) via thecustomer's local area network (LAN) to HAS (5.30) located off-site, forexample in what has been referred to in the literature as the ‘cloud’.The network device (5.40) can be equipped with a wireless link, such asWiFi interface (5.40.3), which is in communications with the customerpremises network router (5.20) through its WiFi interface (5.20.1). Thecustomer premises network router (5.20) can be connected to the internet(5.22 and 5.08) via a last-mile access technology such as ADSL, VDSL2,optical fiber, WiMax, cellular, such as 3G, 4G and 5G etc.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating interactions between variousfunctional blocks associated with the network detailed in FIG. 5according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Specifically,FIG. 6 outlines a message flow that may be associated with theembodiment of FIG. 5. The RCA executing on the mobile terminal may senda message (6.150) to notify or control the customer terminal and theassociated network device when triggered by a predefined condition,directed by a user or as a result of the mobile terminal crossing ageofence as detailed above. The message from the RCA is received by theproprietary routers that forward the message (6.152) to the user's LAN.The customer terminal which is connected to the LAN receives the message(6.154) in LAN format.

According to one or more embodiments, as part of taking action on thereceived message the customer terminal may need the network device to beaccessed or controlled. Accordingly, the customer terminal may direct amessage (6.156) to the network device HAS, which identifies the actionthat the network device is instructed to take. This message is sent overthe LAN and is forwarded (6.158) to the proprietary routers. Theproprietary routers forward the message (6.160) to the HAS (shown asSERVER).

According to one or more embodiments, the message from the customerterminal is sent in customer terminal format and may be reformatted bythe proprietary routers or a translation engine (see, e.g., 8.24 in FIG.8) associated with the proprietary routers into HAS format. The HAS maychange the format of the message to network device format before sendingit via the LAN (6.162) to the network device (6.164).

According to one or more embodiments, the network device responds to themessage received from the HAS (6.166) over the LAN, which is forwardedvia the internet (6.168) to the HAS. The HAS modifies the response fromthe network terminal as required and sends the response (6.170) to theproprietary routers. The proprietary routers may modify the responsefrom the HAS to convert the message format from HAS format to customerterminal format and send the resultant reformatted message via theuser's LAN (6.172) to the customer terminal (6.174).

According to one or more embodiments, the customer terminal directs itsresponse to the RCA via the LAN (6.176), through the proprietary routers(6.178) to the RCA executing on the mobile terminal (6.180).

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the customer terminal illustrating thefunctional blocks used according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure. Specifically, according to one or more embodiments, FIG. 7details the customer terminal (7.002) which comprises:

(Optional) Keypad (7.201)—a basic set of buttons to provide arudimentary user interface; (Optional) Display (7.210)—a display used toprovide user feedback and may include individual LEDs, LCD or atouch-screen; Wireless IP interface (7.208)—may include WiFi (LAN), orWAN including cellular, such as 3G, 4G, LTE, 5G and the like; Sensorinterface (7.206)—such as wired or wireless security and other sensorssuch as fire, smoke, heat, water, CO (Carbon Monoxide) etc.; Controlinterface (7.212)—includes wired outputs such as relay contacts andtransistor open-collector outputs as well as wireless home automationdevices such as Z-Wave control devices; Microprocessor (7.200)—used toexecute the customer terminal firmware using the instructions and data,including user-entered configuration data, stored in Memory (7.202)which may include both volatile and non-volatile memory; (Optional)Wired interface (7.214)—wired connection to LAN; and a bus interface(7.204).

FIG. 8 is a network diagram illustrating additional features of anetwork in the case where the network devices (8.40) are equipped with ameans of communication compatible with the customer terminal (8.02). Forexample, a wireless link (8.31), such as a Z-Wave link can be used bythe customer terminal to control the network device (8.40) eitherdirectly via the customer terminal (8.02) keypad (7.201) or via mobiledevice 8.04. When the control is via the mobile device (8.04), theproprietary router (8.10.1) provides a secure path (8.33, 8.28) to thecustomer terminal (8.02).

FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment wherein there is no compatiblecommunication link between the customer terminal (9.02) and the networkdevice 9.40.

In this case commands to the network device (9.40), which may originatefrom the mobile device (9.04) or from the customer terminal keypad(7.201) or from the customer terminal (9.02) itself are sent viaproprietary router (9.10.1) to HAS (9.30), and from the HAS (9.30) tothe network device 9.40. However, the customer terminal (9.02) may notuse a communication and signaling protocol which is compatible with theHAS (9.30). This necessitates a translation of the message protocol usedby the customer terminal to the protocol which the HAS (9.30) is adaptedto receive. To achieve this, a protocol translator (9.24) is provided.In this embodiment the protocol translator (9.24) is based in thecommunication network 9.08. The protocol translator (9.24) can beassociated with the proprietary router network, and, in this embodiment,it is associated with proprietary router 9.10.1. Depending on thecommunication systems for which the source and destination terminals areconfigured, the protocol translator may be configured to convert onlythe instructions in the message payload from a first signaling protocolto a second signaling protocol, or the translator may be configured tochange both the instructions and the message header from a firstcommunication protocol to a second communication protocol.

According to one or more embodiments, the Z-Wave messages to control theassociated network devices are incorporated into one or more IP messagesby the customer terminal (9.02) and sent over an IP point-to-pointconnection (9.37) via its WiFi LAN interface (9.02.4) to the customer'snetwork router (9.20). The customer's network router (9.20) routes themessages over the internet (9.22 and 9.08) to the proprietary router(9.10.1). As described below with reference to FIGS. 11, 12, and 13,translation engine (9.24) is associated with the proprietary router(9.10.1), and converts the Z-Wave messages to a format compatible withthe HAS (9.30) and the HAS (9.30) translates the messages from the HASto a format compatible with the network devices (9.40) which areforwarded by the HAS (9.30) to control the network device (9.40).

According to one or more embodiments, the translation engine (9.24) canbe incorporated in a separate platform from the proprietary router(9.10.1).

According to one or more embodiments, the proprietary router (9.10.1)maintains a register used to maintain the association between customerterminal (9.04) identifiers and associated network device identifiers(9.40). In the present embodiment, the proprietary router (9.10.1) canbe adapted to provide two-way mapping between Z-Wave commands issued bycustomer terminals (9.02) and network device commands issued by the HAS(9.30).

According to one or more embodiments, the customer terminal (9.02)includes a set of antennas (8.02.4, 8.02.5) for communication with otherdevices including, for example, the mobile device (8.04), and the HAS(9.30) via the customer premises LAN 9.20 or the cellular network(9.02.5). As described in more detail above with reference to FIG. 7,the customer terminal (9.02) can also include a sensor interface(9.02.3) (e.g., for fire alarm sensors), a processor (9.02.2), andcommunication circuitry and devices (9.02.1).

According to one or more embodiments, the mobile device (9.04) caninclude a wireless transceiver antenna (9.04.1) through which the mobiledevice is able to transmit and receive wireless signals including thecontrol signal. Additionally, the overall system may include a cellularnetwork (9.36) which can include one or more cellular towers (9.36.1,9.26.2). The cellular network (9.36) can provide a wirelesscommunication path to communicate with the mobile device (9.04) and abackbone communication path (9.36.3) which can be wired or wireless thatlinks the cellular network with the internet (9.08) to providecommunication between the mobile device (9.04) and other devicesconnected to the network such as the customer terminal (9.02), thenetwork device (9.40), and the HAS (9.30).

According to one or more embodiments, the HAS (9.30) has a datacommunication path (9.30.1) over which the server can communicate withother device connected through the network. For example, the HAS (9.30)can communicate using communication path (9.34) with the mobile device(9.04) through the network that includes the router (9.10.1). The HAS(9.30) can also communicate using another communication path (9.32) tocommunicate with the network device (9.40) through the network.

According to one or more embodiments, the network device (9.40) may be ahome automation device such as a thermostat equipped with sensors(9.40.2) and power control interfaces such as relays (9.40.3) to controlHVAC devices such as air-conditioners (9.40.4) and space heaters(9.40.5). As well as being locally controllable via a local userinterface (9.40.7), the network device (9.40) communicates using thecommunication and control device (9.40.1) and antenna (9.40.3) via thecustomer's local area network (LAN) to HAS (9.30) located off-site, forexample in what has been referred to in the literature as the ‘cloud’.The network device (9.40) can be equipped with a wireless link, such asWiFi interface (9.40.3), which is in communications with the customerpremises network router (9.20) through its WiFi interface (9.20.1). Thecustomer premises network router (9.20) can be connected to the internet(9.22 and 9.08) via a last-mile access technology such as ADSL, VDSL2,optical fiber, cellular, such as 3G, 4G and 5G etc.

Further, according to one or more embodiments, FIG. 9 illustrates anarrangement in which the customer terminal 9.02 is enabled tocommunicate with the operable devices (9.40) despite the operabledevices having a different communication and signaling protocol fromthat used by the customer terminal (9.02). In this embodiment, themobile device 9.04 is also enabled to communicate with the operabledevices via the customer terminal 9.02.

In this example, it will be assumed that the customer terminal isadapted to communicate by a first protocol, for example Z-Wave, whilethe operable devices use a second protocol, such as WiFi.

Where a message is to be sent from the customer terminal (9.02) to theoperable device (9.40), a Z-Wave message is formed into IP packets bythe customer terminal (9.02) and sent to the proprietary router (9.10.1)either via the premises LAN 9.20 via either a wired or wireless link, orvia packet wireless via an inbuilt wireless link (9.02.5) in thecustomer terminal 9.02 to wireless network 9.36. The proprietary routersends the message to an associated protocol translator 9.24 which thendisassembles the message and converts the message contents to a thirdprotocol suitable for the HAS (9.30). The message is then re-packetizedand sent to the HAS (9.30). The HAS in turn converts the message fromthe third protocol to the second protocol and forwards the message tothe operable device (9.40). This process is schematically illustrated bythe message packets shown at FIGS. 11, 12, and 13.

FIG. 16 illustrates a further embodiment of the invention. In thisembodiment, more than one mobile device (16.04, 16.04.2, 16.04.3)configured with the App (RCA) can be associated with the customerterminal (CT) (16.02). When the CT is notified by the App in a first ofthe associated mobile devices that a geofence crossing has taken place,the CT is adapted to poll the other associated mobile devices todetermine whether to act on the notification of a geofence crossing bythe first mobile device associated with the CT (16.02).

As shown in FIG. 16, a first mobile device 16.04 and a second mobiledevice 16.04.3 are shown outside the geofence 16.06, and a second mobiledevice 16.04.2 is shown inside the geofence.

When the mobile device 16.04 crosses the geofence, the App in thatmobile device will notify the CT (16.02). However, the CT in thisembodiment is programmed to conduct a polling operation of any othermobile devices which have been associated with the CT (16.02) todetermine the location of the other mobile devices in relation to thegeofence.

If, for example, no other mobile device is within the geofence, the CT(16.02) will implement a first pre-programmed routine which may bedependent on time of day, season, temperature, etc.

However, if a mobile device is located within the geofence, the CT(16.02) can be programmed to implement a second set of actions or toignore the new geofence crossing.

Where a second mobile device is within the geofence, the CT (16.02) canbe programmed to implement a second set of actions on notification ofthe crossing of the geofence by the first mobile device. The second setof actions may be dependent on the identification of the mobile device.Thus each of the mobile devices can be used to trigger specific actionswhile taking account of the presence of another mobile device within thegeofence.

FIG. 10 illustrates a web-based protocol translator 10.24 adapted toconvert any of a first set of communication and signaling protocols toany of a second set of communication and signaling protocols inaccordance with one or more embodiments. The protocol translatorincludes a packet disassembler 10.250, a protocol identifier 10.252. andone or more multiple protocol translation engines 10.254 . . . 10.256,and a packet assembler 10.258. Each translation engine can consist of aset of translation tables or conversion algorithms 10.254.1 . . .10.254.r, adapted to convert a specific incoming protocol to adesignated output protocol using the corresponding one of the set oftranslation tables.

The incoming message is un-packetized at disassembler 10.250, theaddress information and other required identification information beingpreserved. The incoming is protocol identified and the outgoing protocolascertained either from information in the incoming message or frominformation programmed into the protocol translator. For example, thetranslator may include information correlating destination addresseswith the required protocol for that address.

When the incoming protocol is ascertained, the message to be translatedis directed to the appropriate set of translation tables or algorithmfor the identified incoming protocol and the appropriate tableconverting the incoming protocol to the protocol for the destinationaddress is chosen.

A new message with appropriate header addresses and identificationinformation is then assembled with the translated message.

In the case where there is only one known incoming protocol and only oneknown outgoing protocol, identification of the incoming and outgoingprotocols is unnecessary, and only a single translation table isrequired.

As shown in FIG. 11, and in accordance with one or more embodiments, thecustomer terminal assembles a message with header fields, e.g., HASaddress (11.304), source ID (11.306), start flag (11.308), packet length(11.310), time (11.312), sequence number (11.314), device class(11.315), home ID (11.316), node ID (11.318), and payload (11.320). Anend flag (11.322) indicates the end of the packet. The device class andnode ID serve to identify the operable device to which the message isdirected.

In FIG. 12. the protocol translator then disassembles the packet fromthe customer terminal and converts the payload (11.320 in FIG. 11) to aformat suitable for the HAS, for example an application programminginterface (API) format having API header (12.334) and body (12.336). Thetranslator then assembles a second message by adding the HAS address(12.330) as the destination address, the translator address (12.332) asthe source address. The second message is then sent to the HAS.Information enabling identification of the target operable device ispreserved in this second message to enable the HAS to forward themessage to the selected destination device. A mapping capability can beprovided in the customer terminal or in the proprietary router to mapNode ID to the customer account identifier used by the HAS to identifythe network device.

The message prepared by the HAS is shown in FIG. 13. The HAS identifiesthe target operable device and converts the incoming instructions tocommand 13.346 and parameters 13.348, 13.350 recognized by the operabledevice, adds the destination address of the target operable device toform a third message and sends the third message to the target operabledevice.

FIG. 14 depicts a flowchart of a method for routing signals andcontrolling a plurality of independent home devices using a mobiledevice according to one or more embodiments of the disclosure. Themethod of routing signals and controlling a plurality of independenthome devices using a mobile device includes detecting a triggering eventat the mobile device, wherein the triggering event is associated with acontrol signal for controlling one or more of the plurality ofindependent home devices (operation 14.402). The method also includesgenerating the control signal at the mobile device in response to thetriggering event being detected (operation 14.404). Further, the methodincludes transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to atleast one of the plurality of independent home devices through a networkusing a router by point-to-point communication through a known path ofcommunication for the at least one of the plurality of independent homedevices (operation 14.406).

FIG. 15 shows a flowchart of some additional operations for a method forrouting signals and controlling a plurality of independent home devicesusing a mobile device according to one or more embodiments of thedisclosure. The method includes transmitting the control signal from themobile device to the router over the network implemented over internetresources (operation 15.420). The method also includes receiving thecontrol signal at the router and processing the control signal todetermine the known path of communication for the at least one of theplurality of independent home devices the control signal is configuredto control (operation 15.422). Further, the method includes routing thecontrol signal from the router using point-to-point communicationthrough other devices on the network (operation 15.424). The method alsoincludes receiving the control signal at the at least one of theplurality of independent home devices (operation 15.426).

According to another embodiment, the method can also includetransmitting the control signal from the mobile user device to acustomer terminal through the router, wherein the customer terminal islocally connected to the plurality of independent home devices. Themethod also includes receiving the control signal at the customerterminal for controlling one or more of the plurality of independenthome devices locally connected to the customer terminal. Further, themethod includes transmitting the control signal from the customerterminal to at least one of the plurality of independent home devices.

According to another embodiment, the method can also includetransmitting the control signal from the mobile user device to a HASthrough the router, wherein the HAS is configured for controlling the atleast one of the plurality of independent home devices. The method alsoincludes receiving the control signal at the HAS, wherein the HAS isconnected along the known communication path to at least one of theplurality of independent home devices. The method also includestransmitting the control signal from the HAS to the at least one of theplurality of independent home devices.

According to one or more embodiments the HAS can be used as a routingpoint similar to the proprietary router. According to anotherembodiment, the triggering event includes the mobile user devicetriggering a geofence boundary.

Further, the triggering event includes triggering event information thatincludes at least one selected from a group consisting of a user input,a geofence trigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensorreading, and a third party request according to one or more embodiments.

According to one or more embodiments, the plurality of independent homedevices includes at least one or more from a group consisting of acustomer terminal, a thermostat, a mechanical servo device, a lightswitch, a video camera, a digital electronic device, a home appliance, ahome audio device, a sensor array, and a security system sensor.

According to another embodiment, generating the control signal at themobile user device includes deriving triggering event information fromthe triggering event and processing the triggering event information.The method also includes processing control information received fromone or more of a group consisting of a user input, a geofence triggersignal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensor reading, a thirdparty request, and a stored data file associated with the independenthome device that is to be controlled and generating the control signalbased on the triggering event information and control information.

According to another embodiment, transmitting the control signal fromthe mobile user device to at least one of the plurality of independenthome devices through a network using a router by point-to-pointcommunication through a known path of communication for the at least oneof the plurality of independent home devices includes using a protocoltranslator in the router that takes the control signal and translatesthe control signal into a format readable by other devices in the knownpath of communication and the at least one of the plurality ofindependent home devices.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,”when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to theembodiments in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variationswill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure. The embodiments were chosen anddescribed in order to best explain the principles of the disclosure andthe practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in theart to understand various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated.

The present embodiments may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present disclosure.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present disclosure may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and conventionalprocedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming languageor similar programming languages. The computer readable programinstructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on theuser's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logiccircuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logicarrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions byutilizing state information of the computer readable programinstructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order toperform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of one or more embodiments are described herein with referenceto flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerreadable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or blockdiagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions,which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in theFigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, beexecuted substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionalityinvolved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagramsand/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the blockdiagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by specialpurpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions oracts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented forpurposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variationswill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminologyused herein was chosen to best explain the principles of theembodiments, the practical application or technical improvement overtechnologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinaryskill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device for routing signals andcontrolling a home device, the mobile device comprising a computerreadable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith,the program instructions executable by a processor of the mobile deviceto cause the processor to: detect a triggering event at the mobiledevice, wherein the triggering event is associated with a control signalfor controlling the home device; generate the control signal in responseto the triggering event being detected; and transmit the control signalfrom the mobile device to the home device through a network using aproprietary router associated with the home device in response to thetriggering event being detected.
 2. The mobile device of claim 1,wherein the mobile device further comprises additional programinstructions executable by the processor of the mobile device to causethe processor to: detect a crossing by the mobile device of a specifiedgeofence based on geolocation capability and geofence detectingcapability of the mobile device; and transmit a message to a terminalthrough the proprietary router in response to the detection of saidcrossing, wherein the proprietary router is adapted to establish asecure communication tunnel between the proprietary router and theterminal.
 3. A method of routing signals and controlling a home deviceusing a mobile device, the method comprising: detecting a triggeringevent at the mobile device, wherein the triggering event is associatedwith a control signal for controlling the home device; generating thecontrol signal at the mobile device in response to the triggering eventbeing detected; and transmitting the control signal from the mobiledevice to the home device through a network via a proprietary router inresponse to the triggering event being detected.
 4. The method of claim3, wherein transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to thehome device through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through the known path of communicationcomprises: transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to theproprietary router over the network implemented over internet resources;receiving the control signal at the proprietary router and processingthe control signal to determine the known path of communication for thehome device the control signal is configured to control; routing thecontrol signal from the proprietary router using point-to-pointcommunication through other devices on the network; and receiving thecontrol signal at the home device.
 5. The method of claim 3, whereintransmitting the control signal from the mobile device to the homedevice through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through the known path of communicationcomprises: transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to acustomer terminal through the proprietary router, wherein the customerterminal is locally connected to the home device; receiving the controlsignal at the customer terminal for controlling the home device locallyconnected to the customer terminal; and transmitting the control signalfrom the customer terminal to the home device.
 6. The method of claim 3,wherein transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to thehome device through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through the known path of communicationcomprises: transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to ahome automation server (HAS) through the proprietary router, wherein theHAS is configured for controlling the home device; receiving the controlsignal at the HAS, wherein the HAS is connected along the knowncommunication path to the home device; and transmitting the controlsignal from the HAS to the home device.
 7. The method of claim 3,wherein the triggering event includes triggering event information thatincludes at least one selected from a group consisting of a user input,a geofence trigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensorreading, and a third party request.
 8. The method of claim 3, whereinthe home device is selected from a group consisting of a customerterminal, a thermostat, a mechanical servo device, a light switch, avideo camera, a digital electronic device, a home appliance, a homeaudio device, a sensor array, and a security system sensor.
 9. Themethod of claim 3, wherein generating the control signal at the mobiledevice includes: deriving triggering event information from thetriggering event; processing the triggering event information;processing control information received from one or more of a groupconsisting of a user input, a geofence trigger signal, a scheduledinstruction, a threshold sensor reading, a third party request, and astored data file associated with the independent home device that is tobe controlled; and generating the control signal based on the triggeringevent information and control information.
 10. The method of claim 3,wherein transmitting the control signal from the mobile device to homedevice through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through the known path of communicationcomprises: using a protocol translator communicatively connected to theproprietary router that takes the control signal from a source andtranslates the control signal into a format readable by a destination inthe known path of communication and the home device.
 11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the control signal is translated from a sourceprotocol to a destination protocol, and wherein the protocol translatorfurther comprises: a source protocol identifier adapted to identify thesource protocol; and a destination protocol identifier adapted toidentify the destination protocol, wherein the source protocolidentifier includes an association between the source and thecorresponding source protocol, and wherein the destination protocolidentifier includes an association between the destination and thecorresponding destination protocol.
 12. A system for routing signals andcontrolling a home device using a mobile device, the system comprising:a network comprising a plurality of communication points that provide apath of communication between connected devices, wherein the network isadapted to communicate via internet resources; a home device that iscommunicatively connected using the network; a mobile device that iscommunicatively connected to the home device using the network; and aproprietary router in the network through which the mobile device isable to connect to the home device, wherein the mobile device isconfigured to: detect a triggering event at the mobile device, whereinthe triggering event is associated with a control signal for controllingthe home device; generate the control signal in response to thetriggering event being detected; and transmit the control signal to thehome device through the network using the proprietary router through thepath of communication in response to the triggering event beingdetected.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the system furthercomprises: a network device that uses a first communication andsignaling protocol; and a customer terminal that uses a secondcommunication and signaling protocol different from the firstcommunication and signaling protocol, wherein the network devicecommunicates with a network device management server using the firstcommunication and signaling protocol, wherein the customer terminalcommunicates with a network-based protocol translator adapted to convertthe second communication and signaling protocol to a third communicationand signaling protocol, and wherein the network device management serveris adapted to communicate using the third communication and signalingprotocol.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the mobile devicecommunicates with the customer terminal via the network, and wherein thecustomer terminal forwards messages from the mobile device to thenetwork device via the protocol translator and the network device. 15.The system of claim 12, wherein the system is further configured to:transmit the control signal from the mobile device to the proprietaryrouter over the network implemented over internet resources; receive thecontrol signal at the proprietary router and process the control signalto determine the known path of communication for the home device thecontrol signal is configured to control; route the control signal fromthe proprietary router using point-to-point communication through otherdevices on the network; and receive the control signal at the homedevice.
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein the system furthercomprises: a customer terminal, wherein the home device is locallyconnected to the customer terminal; wherein the system is furtherconfigured to: transmit the control signal from the mobile device to thecustomer terminal through the proprietary router; receive the controlsignal at the customer terminal for controlling the home device locallyconnected to the customer terminal; and transmitting the control signalfrom the customer terminal to the home device.
 17. The system of claim12, wherein the system further comprises: a home automation server(HAS), wherein the system is configured to: transmit the control signalfrom the mobile device to the HAS through the proprietary router,wherein the HAS is configured for controlling the home device, receivethe control signal at the HAS, wherein the HAS is connected along theknown communication path to the home device; and transmit the controlsignal from the HAS to the home device.
 18. The system of claim 12,wherein the triggering event includes triggering event information thatincludes at least one selected from a group consisting of a user input,a geofence trigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensorreading, and a third party request, and wherein the home device isselected from a group consisting of a customer terminal, a thermostat, amechanical servo device, a light switch, a video camera, a digitalelectronic device, a home appliance, a home audio device, a sensorarray, and a security system sensor.
 19. The system of claim 12, whereingenerating the control signal at the mobile device includes: derivingtriggering event information from the triggering event; processing thetriggering event information; processing control information receivedfrom one or more of a group consisting of a user input, a geofencetrigger signal, a scheduled instruction, a threshold sensor reading, athird party request, and a stored data file associated with theindependent home device that is to be controlled; generating the controlsignal based on the triggering event information and controlinformation.
 20. The system of claim 12, further comprising: a protocoltranslator communicatively connected to the proprietary router, whereintransmitting the control signal from the mobile device to the homedevice through the network using the proprietary router bypoint-to-point communication through a known path of communicationcomprises: using the protocol translator to take the control signal andtranslate the control signal into a format readable by other devices inthe known path of communication and the home device.
 21. A network-basedprotocol translator comprising: A protocol converter adapted to convertfirst messages in a first protocol of a first group of communicationprotocols to messages in one or more second protocols in a second groupof communication protocols, wherein the first group of communicationprotocols include a source protocol, and wherein the one or more secondprotocols include a destination protocol.
 22. The network-based protocoltranslator of claim 21, further comprising: a translation engine,wherein the translation engine includes source protocol identificationmeans adapted to identify the source protocol.
 23. The network-basedprotocol translator of claim 21, further comprising: a translationengine, wherein the translation engine includes destination protocolidentification means adapted to identify the destination protocol orprotocols.
 24. The network-based protocol translator of claim 22,wherein the translation engine includes destination protocolidentification means adapted to identify the destination protocol orprotocols.
 25. A network-based protocol translator of claim 22, whereinthe source protocol identification means includes an association betweenthe source and the corresponding source protocol.
 26. A network-basedprotocol translator of claim 23, wherein the destination protocolidentification means includes an association between the destination andthe corresponding destination protocol.